A friend asked me to recommend some vacation reading. What should he lug along to the beach? (He's already read my novels; I made sure of that!).
Got me to thinking – What books are the permanent magnets in my bookcase? Not necessarily those books in the “Wow, I enjoyed that” category. I mean the ones that sit in a reserved spot on my "Essentials" bookshelf. Those books I pick up and enjoy over and again. Books that take you deep, deep.
Here are four of mine:
“Wicked,” by Gregory Maguire (1995). The old L. Frank Baum books we read as children – and, of course, the movie – introduced my generation to the beauty of fantasy. Maguire takes it up a notch with the story of the Wicked Witch of the West. The tale of The Wizard of Oz becomes fantasy at a new, intriguing level. Food for thought.
“The Great Plains,” by Walter Prescott Webb (out of print). We Texans know Webb for his rose-colored history of the Texas Rangers. His socio-ecological history of America’s Great Plains is much stronger. Eighty years old but highly readable today. I used it as a basis for lectures in Ecology. Written before the dust bowl years, The Great Plains is strangely pertinent today.
“The Eternal Frontier,” by Tim Flannery (2001). This Australian author takes on the history of North America and its peoples, beginning with the big Cretaceous meteor and moving forward through the ages. Flannery writes more as a novelist than a historian. His story of our continent is wide-ranging and beautifully detailed. I read this one over and over, and give it as a present. I want to know more!
“Texas History Movies,” based on comic strips published originally in the Dallas Morning News (1926-1927?). This little comic book was handed to us in grade schools in Texas, and it’s where many of my generation learned the story of the Texas Revolution. Once you start reading it you can’t put it down. It’s still available in several reincarnations, from on-line book sites. Get a copy for the kids – and for yourself.
Okay. What’s on your "Essentials" Bookshelf?
Dac Crossley
May 13, 2011
“The only sin is mediocrity.” – Martha Graham.
On my shelf for this summer? Mike Orenduff's Pot Thief series and Elizabeth George's newest. I like diversity in my reading.
Lesley
Posted by: Lesley A. Diehl | June 18, 2011 at 04:33 PM
The Daniel Silva books, starting with "A Death In Vienna." Incredible writing, terrific plots. Betcha can't read just one!
Posted by: Sunny Frazier | June 18, 2011 at 02:59 PM
All the Aubrey/Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brian - what a combination of skillful writing and adventure stories! And, of course, LOTR.
Posted by: barbara reynolds | May 14, 2011 at 08:37 PM
My latest favorites are Atonement by Ian McEwan, Hero by Michael Korda, and Riding the Iron Rooster by Paul Theroux. My classics are anything by Michael Connelly, Lord of the Rings (re-read about every 2 yrs), and most Hemingway and Steinbeck.
Posted by: Steve | May 13, 2011 at 05:42 PM
Texas,Alaska,Hawaii,South Pacific,by James Michener.
Oceanwatcher, Exploring Hanauma Bay,by Susan Scott.
On the Open Range, a treasury of folklore from my early childhood by J Frank Dobie.
Posted by: shirley white | May 13, 2011 at 03:23 PM
You've left me wondering about the books on my keeper shelf. I have a very old edition of Willa Cather's O Pioneers, an old edition of her short stories, Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder (old edition), and The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, something by Elmer Kelton, and a big stack of assorted new/old books I love to re-read.
I have all 26 books by 80's romance author LaVyrle Spencer--she's still my role model. No one can write an emotional, vivid, heart-wrenching story as she does.
Nice question--Celia
Posted by: Celia Yeary | May 13, 2011 at 09:35 AM
Webb's book has a permanent place on my shelf, too. The Flannery book sounds intriguing. I'll have to check that out.
Some other permanents on my shelf: Walden, Don Quixote, Wuthering Heights, Moby Dick and Jack London's Martin Eden.
Posted by: J. R. Lindermuth | May 13, 2011 at 09:11 AM
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte; Walking Through Egypt by Clyde Edgerton; O'Henry's short stories
Posted by: Genie | May 13, 2011 at 09:01 AM